The Leslie Farrell Threadgill Lecture and Artist Series returns to Mississippi University for Women’s campus, with a performance by the MUW Threadgill Series Orchestra, Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Kossen Auditorium in Poindexter Hall.

“Over the years the Threadgill Series has provided us with a variety of performances,” said University President Nora Miller. “After last year’s concert, Mr. Threadgill said, ‘This was great! Next year I’d like to have a symphony.’ When a 100-year-old makes plans for an event a year into the future, that is saying something! I’m so pleased we are able to honor Mr. Threadgill’s memory with this orchestra performance!”

Bill Threadgill passed away on April 30.

The MUW Threadgill Series Orchestra is comprised of W faculty and students, The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science faculty and musicians from across the country, all joining together to perform a host of holiday favorites to usher in the festive season. There will be a few surprises in the setlist as well.

This is the inaugural performance of the orchestra, which was founded for this special event.

“The W’s Department of Music is excited to organize the MUW Threadgill Series Orchestra and perform with musicians from around the country,” said Dr. Julia Mortyakova, chair of the department.” The program will feature ‘The Nutcracker’ by Tchaikovsky, a Christmas Suite written by our own Dr. Valentin Bogdan and a few surprises! We hope everyone in our area comes out to Poindexter Hall to hear incredible musicians bring some holiday cheer to Columbus.”

The event is free and open to the public; however, seating is limited so tickets must be reserved in advance. Tickets can be reserved by calling (662) 329-7148 or emailing developmentandalumni@muw.edu.

The Leslie Farrell Threadgill Lecture and Artist Series Endowment, held by the Mississippi University for Women Foundation, was established in 1997 by the Threadgill family to honor Mississippi University for Women alumna Leslie Farrell Threadgill. The endowment supports programs to promote family and cultural influences, to advance the artistic and intellectual environment of the university and to strengthen the cultural bond between the university and the public.

“We are extremely grateful to the Threadgill family for their continued support of the Leslie Farrell Threadgill Lecture and Artist Series through their endowed fund,” said Elise Wilson, interim executive director of Development and Alumni. “Their generosity ensures that this annual event continues to enrich our campus and the greater Columbus community by fostering cultural engagement and artistic expression.”

Mississippi University for Women reported its largest enrollment increase in nearly a decade, with an 8% increase bringing total unduplicated student enrollment to 2,371 for fall 2025.

“This year’s growth in enrollment reflects the great work done by our Enrollment Management staff and our faculty,” said W President Nora Miller. “We had increases in both new students and in continuing students, so recruitment and retention strategies are having a positive impact.”

Both the School of Education and the College of Business and Professional Studies experienced significant growth, with increases of 13% and 16%, respectively. The W also reported an 8% increase in unduplicated graduate student enrollment, with graduate nursing programs growing by 26%. The College of Arts and Sciences saw its strongest growth in the Department of Music, up 32%, followed by Art and Design with an 18% increase. The university’s largest college remains the Vandergriff College of Nursing and Health Sciences and experienced growth in all nursing programs.

Additionally, the university recorded its highest full-time equivalent (FTE) increase since 2016 at 6%.

The university continues to lead Mississippi’s public university system with the highest degree completion rate, awarding 33.3 undergraduate degrees per 100 undergraduate FTE enrollment, compared to the state’s Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) system average of 23.9 per 100 FTE.

The 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings placed the University at a tie for No. 15 in Top Public Schools –Regional Universities (South). Additionally, U.S. News placed The W at No. 9 in Best Value Schools – Regional Universities (South) and No. 21 (tied) in Social Mobility – Regional Universities.

Washington Monthly named The W among the “25 Best-in-Class Colleges,” the ranking highlights colleges and universities that “show what’s possible when colleges put students and the public good first.”

Other student characteristics at The W:

• 88% are from Mississippi
• 23% are males
• The average student age is 24

Eight Mississippi University for Women faculty members will present their research at the annual Provost’s Faculty Symposium on The W’s campus, Thursday, Nov. 6 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Culinary Arts Institute event room.

“I am incredibly proud that The W is once again showcasing the groundbreaking, discipline-advancing research of our faculty,” said Dr. Scott Tollison, provost and executive VP for academic affairs. “The eight presentations selected for this year’s Symposium exemplify the real-world applications that enrich our classrooms and inspire our students every day.”

Thomas Haffey, instructor of marketing and management, will kick off the first session with a presentation titled, “The Essential Role of Strategic Marketing for Student Recruitment in Higher Education.”

“This in-progress project explores the essential role of strategic marketing in student recruitment at small regional public universities in the southeastern United States,” Haffey said in the description of his presentation.

Anita Pintado, access services librarian and assistant professor, will present “Building Career Readiness: Integrating NACE Competencies into the Library Student Experience.”

“In support of the (Quality Enhancement Plan), the Fant Memorial Library has incorporated the NACE Career Readiness Competencies into the Student Library Experience to intentionally connect on-the-job learning with professional skill development,” she said. “This presentation will share our model, outcomes and lessons learned to help other departments interested in developing their own competency-based approaches to hiring, training and supervising student workers.”

Dr. Jianwen Crump, assistant professor of Speech-Language Pathology, will give a presentation titled, “Beyond the Ear: Visualizing Speech Movements with Ultrasound Visual Feedback.”

“This presentation examines the integration of Ultrasound Visual Biofeedback (UVB) technology in the field of Speech-Language Pathology for assessment and treatment purposed of speech sound disorders,” Crump said in the description.

Michael Dodson will close out the first session with a presentation titled, “Ethnobotanical Educational Experiences and Their Effect on Plant Awareness Disparity.”

“Using a framework of posthumanism and critical plant studies, this qualitative and quantitative study explores the intersection of ethnobotanical and educational experiences that accompany the inquisitiveness of wondering how plants have been used historically, culturally, biologically and beyond,” Dodson said in the presentation description.

Dr. Renae Hopple, instructor of graduate nursing, will begin the second session with her presentation, “Hidden in Plain Sight.”

Her presentation will discuss how health care workers being on the front lines of the war on human trafficking. “I will share the results of my research, some statistics specific to human trafficking in Mississippi and a few engaging stories of human trafficking identification from my clinical practice,” she said.

Next, Dr. Entidhar Al-Rashid, assistant professor of English-world literature, will present, “Arab American Identity, Trauma and Nonlinear Storytelling in ‘Crescent’ by Diana Abu-Jaber.”

“This paper will examine Diana Abu-Jaber’s novel ‘Crescent’ to explore the representation of Arab American identity, trauma and nonlinear storytelling, with particular attention to the challenges of living between two worlds,” reads the description.

The penultimate presentation will be given by Dr. Kristy Alpe, associate professor of health care management/MIS. It is titled, “The Power of Communication During a Pandemic.”

The presentation encompasses Alpe’s research into the perceptions of university administrators and the influence Covid-19 has had on communication approaches.

The final presentation will be given by Dr. Kelly Ballard, associate professor of education, and Dr. Hope Durst, assistant professor of education. The two will present, “From Plans to Possibilities: Transforming Lesson Design Through AI-Integrated Practice at The W.”

“This research presentation will highlight the development of the AI-Integrated lesson planning and preparation process, the role of stakeholder collaboration in shaping its design and our ongoing data collection to evaluate its impact on planning quality, time efficiency and teacher candidate confidence,” reads the description.

The Provost’s Symposium began in 2014 as an opportunity for junior faculty to showcase their research. It has since expanded to include senior faculty as well. Faculty give their presentations in one of two sessions, and each session is followed by a 10-minute Q&A panel featuring the faculty from that session.